The Good New Days

People often wish for a return to the good old days. First of all,
when we look at them objectively, they weren't really so good. Sure, I
have funny and pleasant memories from my youth, but I also remember
the confusion and loneliness.
I personally would not trade my life at this moment for my life at any
time in the past. Among other things, I now have a beautiful daughter
who I love more than life itself; my writing, which has evolved to
allow me to express my deepest convictions; and many small blessings
that add upto a pot of gold.
Secondly, the old days are called "old" for a reason. That's the past.
We can't goback.
What we can do is focus onthe journey forward.
"Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord,and for a Garden
whose width is that (of the whole)of the heavens and of the earth,
prepared for the righteous; – Those who spend (freely), whether in
prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon people;-
for Allah loves those who do good; – And those who, having done
something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly
bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for theirsins,- and who
can forgive sins except Allah…." – Quran, Surat Aal Imran, 3:133-135
This is how we make a better future for ourselves and our families,
Insha'Allah. Letting go of anger, forgiving, asking forgiveness,
giving to the poor and needy, and racingto Allah. The Almighty has
given us the formula. This is how, instead of yearning for the good
old days, we create good new days! Our future can be as good as the
past ever was; it can bebetter, brighter and happier.
Let's build the good new days.

Fasting is a Key

Why should there be a gateway to Jannah only forthose who fast? What
is so special about fasting for only month every year, as opposed to
praying every day, or making the great effort of Hajj, or giving one's
hard-earned money in charity, or any other important Islamic deed?
Actually we know from various saheeh hadeeth (authentic narrations of
theProphet) that there are many gates to Jannah. Some will reward
people who perform specific actions, and according to the Prophet
(sws), certain individuals willed be called to all the gates, and may
enter from whichever they choose. SubhanAllah. This isa fascinating
subject in its own right. However, Bab Ar-Rayyaan has been mentioned
quite prominently in the narrations. It is clearly an important and
privileged gate.
Why is that?
Fasting is designed to put us into a state of hyper-awareness of
Allah. Hasan al-Basri said,
"By Allah, in the last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken
something with my hand or refrained to take something with my hand or
stepped forth or steppedback, except that I have thought before I have
doneany action, 'Does Allah love this action? Is Allah pleasedwith
this action?'"
This is how we should be when fasting. The fast is a highly personal
act of worship between the servant and the Creator. It'san invisible
act. When you pray or perform tawaaf, you can be seen by others, so
there is always the risk of one's intention being tainted by the
desire to be seen or admired. However, when we are fasting, no one can
look at us and know that we are fasting. Even in Ramadan, a person
could eat or drink secretly. It is an honor system. That is why Allah
said in a hadith qudsi, "Fasting is for Me and I reward it."
(al-Bukhari)
Another truth is that fasting is difficult. It is more arduous than
salat, or giving sadaqah. When done properly, fasting can be very
hard, especially in summer or in hot climates. For me personally,
fasting at the height of summer is the most punishing physical
experience I go through, particularly on thedays when I have martial
arts classes scheduled.
The greatest mistake would be to think that fasting is only about
hunger, thirst and abstinence. It seems to me that fasting is a
physical experience that opens the doorway to a spiritual state of
being. The hardship of fasting is a key that unlocks a tremendous
reservoir of strength, and that plunges one into a state of humility,
and an extreme awareness of one's actions before Allah.
That's ultimately what fasting is about. It is about being conscious
of Allah, sacrificing for Him, being humbled before Him, growing
closer to Him, and pleasing Him.
Fasting is a key that opens a door. And the door is called Ar-Rayyaan.
May Allah make us among those who enter through Ar-Rayyaan.

Ramadan Poem – In Allah’s Loving Hands

May Allah swt be with you every step that you take,
May HE guide you with each decision you make,
May HE help you when life gets rough,
May HE lift you when you've had enough,
May HE protect you when you fall,
May HE hear you when youcall,
May all your duas be accepted,
May you always be in Allah swt's loving hands. Ramadan Mubarak

Bridging knowledge gap through online learning

Among all the technological marvels and their roles in our lives, the
most revolutionary contribution of technology has to be the
democratisation of knowledge all around the world.
Online courses on a wide range of topics are provided openly and for
free by premier institutionsof the world. As these courses reach
larger audiences, they will mitigate the huge gap in knowledge created
due to lack of fundamental resources and varying methods of teaching.
Thesecourses would not only benefit students but will also prove to be
touchstone for teachers.
Among the open educationcourses available on the Web, the most popular
oneis OpenCourseWare (OCW) run by Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), which provides all itseducation materials from
undergraduate level to graduate level for free. As of now, more than
2,080 courses are available online. Many of them include lecture
notes, interactive Web demonstrations, textbooks written by MIT
professors and streaming video lectures. Details of the available
lectures can be found at http://ocw.mit.edu . Along with MIT's own
site, video lectures are also available on YouTube and iTunes and can
be streamed online or can also be downloaded for viewing offline.
MITx, a recent online learning initiative by MIT, offers a portfolio
of its courses through online interactive learning platform. It has
been designed keeping in mind all aspects of difficulties that might
be faced by students on the online platform. It would not onlyoffer
online laboratories, student-to-student communication, but wouldalso
provide a chance to earn certification of completion award by
MITx,based on the mastery of the subject.
Other options
Among the courses offered by other universities, videocourses of
Harvard, Yale University, University of California – Berkeley, and
Stanford University are worth checking out, but unlike MIT OCW, these
are restricted in number.
In 1999, the idea of havingan enhanced learning programme involving
the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of
Management was conceived by IIT Madras, which was subsequently funded
by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Today, it is known as
the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL).
As of now, 260 courses are available online, but this number is set to
reach 1,000 in the next phase of the programme. With more than 4,900
hours of classroom course, illustration of concepts via animations,
links for reference books, discussionforums and case studies, it has
enough potential to disseminate quality education among Indian
students. In the era of ubiquitous mobile phones, 3GP format of video
courses are especially made for mobile phone users.
Virtual Labs is a new initiative to provide remote access to labs in
various disciplines of science and engineering ( www.vlab.co.in )
taken up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. At a time when
a majority of institutions are facing a crunch in testing equipment
and resources, this would provide a platform where resources can be
shared.
The integration of NPTEL with Virtual Labs will provide a complete
package for education by bridging the gap between theory and practice.
The hurdle
A major hindrance in taking the online education programme to the
remotest of places is lack of infrastructure. Two things that are
prerequisitefor the programme's success are affordable computer
devices and availability of adequate Internet speed.
The low-cost Aakash tablets seem to be a strongstep towards online
education revolution. However, its availability and reliability are
the issues the government must sort out as soon as possible. Making
courses available on DVDs and harddisks for affordable prices can
mitigate the problem of online streaming of videos on low-speed
Internet.